MEETINGS
IABC Fort Worth is looking forward to a great 2014, with at least four timely
professional development programs planned for pros and students alike. Pencil
in the Tuesdays: Feb. 25, May 20, Aug. 26 and Nov. 18. Keep in touch on the website, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Overcoming Challenges to Tell the F-35 Story Worldwide
A highly integrated, 24/7 strategic public relations network supports the world’s most advanced fighter plane, the F-35 Lightning II, and it’s all up for review at the first PRSA meeting of 2014.
Mike Rein with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth will share how the F-35’s rocky start, marked by development delays and frequent negative media
coverage, has turned the corner in the past 12 months as the 100th aircraft
recently was completed. In addition to being a stealthy fifth-generation
fighter, the F-35 is touted as providing 40,000 jobs in Texas and more than
125,000 nationwide.
A 20-year Air Force veteran with two master’s degrees (Naval War College, Golden Gate University), Rein leads a staff of
eight and is responsible for all communications associated with the F-35 Joint
Strike Fighter.
Prior to joining Lockheed, he was communications and customer relations manager
for United Launch Alliance, a Lockheed Martin-Boeing Co. joint venture at Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Before that, he led the 52-person media
team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Time & date: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8
Place: Colonial Country Club, 3735 Country Club Circle, Fort Worth
Cost: chapter members $25, national members $30, nonmembers $35, students $20;
walk-ups add $5
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If there’s a program this month, you’ll know about it. Happy New Year from Fort Worth SPJ!
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STRAIGHT STUFF
A strong, distinctive voice tops most editor and agent wish lists, yet it’s a craft issue that entangles so many writers. Jenny Martin will help participants find their voice at the next Writers’ Guild of Texas meeting, 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, at the Richardson Public
Library. Martin is a librarian and electric-guitar-rawking Beatlemaniac. She
lives in Dallas with her husband and son, where she hoards books and regularly
blisses out over all kinds of live and recorded rock. Dial, an imprint of
Penguin, will release her debut YA novel, “Tracked,” in 2014. More at writersguildoftexas.org.
IABC local update: IABC Dallas launches the new year with “Fueling Your Content Strategy in Real Time,” the January luncheon, Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Maggiano’s Little Italy at NorthPark Center. Info here.
PRSA local update: At her last meeting as president, Chris Smith delivered the traditional report on the year’s achievements. • To support the goal of “positioning our chapter as a leading regional and national leader,” GFW PRSA hosted the 2nd Annual Worthy Awards recognizing the best in local PR
programs. Mayor Betsy Price was honored as Communicator of the Year, and the number of entries more than
doubled from last year. • To support the goal of engaging the membership, programs reflected the results
of a chapter-wide survey conducted early in the year. Responding to members’ desires on topics, time and place boosted attendance at monthly luncheons and
also at the nightly networking mixers. Thanks to Michelle Clark, APR, who implemented the survey, and to committee chairs Lisa Albert, Brian Murnahan, Cindy Vasquez, Nancy Farrar, Mary Gugliuzza, Joan Hunter, Laura Van Hoosier and Carol Murray. • Other highlights included the creation of two new board positions, historian
and digital media chair. A local firm brought outstanding sponsorship support
and also provided updated chapter logos at no charge. Many thanks to J.O. and Liz Heck.
PRSA local update II: Scholarship recipients from Abilene Christian University, TCU and UTA were
honored at the Dec. 21 meeting. ACU ad/PR junior Margo Herrera has four consecutive semesters on the Dean’s Honor Roll, holds a Corliss Englert Scholarship and is a member of Alpha Chi
National College Honor Society and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. TCU strategic
communications senior Gillian Hogan is president of the university’s PRSSA Doug Newsom Chapter. Christian Nisttáhuz, a UTA senior majoring in public relations and Spanish, says her interest in
public relations grew into a passion after she volunteered in a congressional
campaign and got involved in politics.
PRSA local update III: Margaret Ritsch, APR, gave other chapters a comprehensive look at the research and logistics
behind the Worthy Awards with her article “Thinking of Starting a Chapter Awards Program?” in this month’s Tactics.
PRSA local update IV: Standing reminders. Visited the DFW Communicators Job Bank lately? A job listing can now be created, edited and removed directly on the
site, and page view counts show the level of interest. And job seekers can now
push alerts for specific keywords to their personal e-mails. The job bank lists
full-time, part-time and internship positions in PR, media affairs,
advertising/sales, event planning, graphic design, marketing, and corporate and
employee communications throughout North Texas. Employers who are members of
the participating organizations may post a job for $75; the cost for nonmembers
is $100, for nonprofits $50. Each posting runs a month. Greater Fort Worth PRSA
receives a portion of the proceeds when a member marks his or her membership
status on the submission form. More from
Jerrod Resweber, GFW PRSA job bank chair, at jresweber@webershandwick.com or 469-375-0216. ... Stay on top of emerging trends and industry news, extend
your network while increasing your knowledge, and keep learning and stay
competitive. Any practitioner with at least two years in the field is eligible
for membership in the world’s leading organization for PR professionals. Those with fewer than two years
experience or who recently graduated from college and were active in PRSSA may
join as an associate member. More from chapter president Richie Escovedo at richieescovedo@misdmail.org.
PRSA local update V: A trio of corporate communications influencers — Tina Barry, executive vice president (retired), Dr Pepper Snapple Group; Laura Moore, senior VP of communications and public relations, Academic Partnerships; and Mark Palmer, partner, Brunswick Group — along with moderator Carolyn Covey Morris, president/CEO of QMobius, will present “Leadership’s Lessons: Key Learnings from Those Who Work with the C-Suite to Protect and
Build Global Brands” at the PRSA Dallas monthly meeting Thursday, Jan. 9, at the organization’s new luncheon location, Seasons 52 at NorthPark Center. Info here.
